Collapsible wardrobe



July 14, 194 2.

COLLAPS IBLE WARDROBE s. STONE 2,289,940

y Filed Ma },8, 19:59

2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

BY Sol 5130? wZMKw ATTORNEYS Patented July 14, 1942 UNETED STA'i'iid idi'ififii GFFHCE COLLAPSIBLE WARDROBE Sol Stone, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application May 8, 1939, Serial No. 272,420

2 Glaims. (Cl. 229-41l This invention relates to storage wardrobes orcontainers which are constructed of lightweight, inexpensive materialsuch as cardboard, corrugated paperboard and the like and which includea collapsible body section and detachable end sections.

The present invention broadly comprehends a body section constructed asa completely assembled unit of rectangular tubular formation in whichthe front wall is provided with an opening having a closure and whereinsaid body section is so constructed and arranged as to permit of thecollapsing thereof to a compact arrangement by folding of one side walland an adjacent wall in nested relation disposed between and parallelwith the other adjacent wall and the remaining sidewall.

The invention more particularly resides in a wardrobe of the indicatedcharacter in which the body section includes front, rear and side wallshingedly connected together to provide a completely assembledrectangular tubular unit wherein one of the side walls has a fold lineadjacent to and parallel with one of its longitudinal edges so as topermit of the folding of said wall on said fold line and the collapsingof the body to a compact arrangement with the walls disposed in parallelrelation and with one pair of adjacent folded walls nested between theother pair of adjacent folded walls.

The invention further resides in a wardrobe having a body section inwhich the side walls are each provided with a fold line adjacent to andparallel with one of the longitudinal edges thereof and in which therear and front walls are each of substantially the same width as thedistance from the fold line to the opposite longitudinal edge of saidside wall so as to permit of the folding of either side wall on its foldline and the collapsing of the body section to a compact arrangementwith the walls disposed in parallel relation and with either pair ofadjacent walls folded and nested between the other pair of adjacentwalls.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, reference is now made tothe following specification and accompanying drawings in which there isdisclosed the preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a wardrobe or container constructed inaccordance with the in vention, illustrating the same in set upcondition with the top end section removed.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the body section in partiallycollapsed condition.

Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating the body section or unit in fullyfolded collapsed condition.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the wardrobe in its set upcondition.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken online 55 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a similar view taken on line 6il of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, the wardrobe orcontainer includes a body section A and top and bottom end sections B.The body section A is constructed as a completely assembled unit ofrectangular tubular formation and includes a front wall designatedgenerally by the reference character lil, a rear wall I and oppositeside walls l2 and it.

In the embodiment illustrated, the rear wall I I and the side walls l2and i3 are constructed of a single sheet of lightweight inexpensivematerial, such as cardboard, corrugated paperboard and the like, andinclude inwardly directed front wall portions Hi and it: formed integralwith the side walls l2 and i3 respectively. The front wall furtherincludes a closure frame of wood or other rigid material and which frameconsists of upper and lower end rails l6 and I! and side stiles l8 andI9 secured at their opposite ends to the upper and lower end railsadjacent the ends thereof and which frame is secured to the inwardlydirected front wall portions I4 and [5 adjacent the ends thereof byrivets til or other securing means.

The side stiles i8 and it are rabbeted at their inner confronting edgesto define together with the inwardly directed front wall portions M andi5 longitudinally extending guide channels 2| in which channels theopposite side edges of upper and lower sliding closures 22 and 23 arearranged for guided sliding movement to open and close the opening 2ddefined by the closure frame.

The body section or unit A is provided with in.- ner and outerlongitudinally extending score or fold lines 2%, 2t and 26' at thejuncture of the rear wall i l with the side wall I? and with inner andouter longitudinally extending score or fold lines 2?, 28 and 28 at thejuncture of the rear wall H with the side wall I3. The side wall I2adjacent the juncture with the front wall portion It is provided withinner and outerlongitudinally extending score or fold lines 29 and 30,while the side wall l3 adjacent its juncture with the front wall portionI5 is provided with inner and outer longitudinally extending score orfold lines 3| and 32 and which score or fold lines are parallel to andspaced from the score lines 33 and 34 at the juncture of the side wallsI2 and I3 with the inwardly directed front wall portions I4 and I5respectively. This defines between the score line 33 and the score lines29 and 30 and between the score line 34 and the score lines 3| and 32longitudinally extending link portions or webs 35 and 36 respectively.

Under this construction and arrangement the body section or unit A maybe folded from the opened set up condition illustrated in Fig. 1 to thecollapsed condition illustrated in Fig. 3 with the walls of the sectiondisposed in flat parallel coextensive relation.

The collapsing is accomplished by folding the rear wall I on the innerand outer fold lines 21 and 28 to dispose the inner face thereof againstthe inner face of the side wall I3 and by folding the side wall I2 onthe fold or score line 33 to dispose the inner face thereof against theinner face of the front wall I0. During this folding operation the rearwall II and side wall I2 are folded inwardly on the inner and outerscore or fold lines 25 and 26'. The folded together rear wall I I andside wall I3 are then swung towards the folded together front wall I!)and side wall I2 in the direction as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2,the side wall I3 being folded on th inner and outer score lines 3| and32. This folding movement is continued until the rear wall I I and sidewall I3 are disposed in a plane parallel and coextensive with the frontwall I0 and the side wall I2 and so that the rear wall I I and side wallI2 are disposed between the side wall I3 and the front wall Ill. Thelink portion or web 36 which joins the side wall I3 with the front wallIll is of a sufficient width to space the side wall I3 from the frontwall so as to accommodate therebetween the folded together adjacent rearand side walls II and I2.

Obviously, the body section or unit A may be collapsed by folding thewalls in the opposite direction in which instance the rear wall I I andside wall I2 are folded together while the side wall I3 is swung againstthe front wall ID. The folded together rear and side walls II and I2 arethen swung towards the folded together front and side walls It] and I3,the side wall I2 being folded on the inner and outer fold lines 29 and30. This disposes the rear wall II and side wall I3 between the frontwall I 0 and side wall I2. The link portion or web 35 which joins theside wall I2 with the front wall I0 is of a sufiicient width to spacethe side wall I2 from the front wall I0 so as to accommodatetherebetween the folded together adjacent rear and side walls II and I3.

The front and rear walls It! and I I are each of substantially the samewidth as the side walls I2 and I3 from the fold lines 29 and 3| to thefold lines 25 and 21 thereof, so that when collapsed as shown in Figs. 2and 3, the rear wall II is folded on the fold line 26 at one side and onthe walls in opposite directions without fracturing or breaking thestock and to compensate for the thickness of the stock when the wallsare folded into parallel relationship.

What is claimed is:

1. In a wardrobe, a tubular body section composed of a rear wall, afront wall and opposite side walls each having hinged connection withthe rear and front walls at the opposite longitudinal edges thereof, oneof said side walls having a fold line parallel with its longitudinaledges and spaced from the front wall to provide a longitudinal linkportion, the rear wall having a longitudinally extending fold line inits outer surface adjacent its hinged connection with said side wall andthe opposite side wall having a longitudinally extending fold line inits outer surface adjacent its hinged connection with the rear wall andsaid front and rear walls each being substantially the same width assaid side wall from the link portion thereof to its hinged connectionwith the rear wall and said walls being adapted when folded on said foldlines to accommodate between the front wall and said side wall havingthe link portion the folded opposite pair of walls so as to permit ofthe collapsing of the walls of said body section into flat parallelrelation with one pair of adjacent folded walls nested between the otherpair of adjacent folded walls.

2. In a wardrobe, a tubular body section consisting of a rear wall, afront wall and opposite side walls each having hinged connection withthe rear and front walls at the opposite longitudinal edges thereof,said side walls each having a fold line parallel with the longitudinaledges thereof respectively and each of said fold lines being spaced fromthe front wall a distance to provide longitudinally extending linkportions, the rear wall having longitudinally extending fold lines inits outer surface adjacent its hinged connection with the side walls,and said side walls each having a longitudinally extending fold line inits outer surface adjacent its hinged connection with the rear wall, andsaid front and rear walls each being substantially the same width assaid side walls from the link portions thereof to the hinged connectionwith the rear wall and said walls being adapted when either side wall isfolded inwardly to permit of the collapsing of the body section tocompact arrangement with the walls dispose-d in parallel relation andwith either pair of adjacent walls folded and nested between the otherpair of adjacent walls.

SOL STONE.

